Meet us where some stories end and some begin
There is no better person to guide you through the cemeteries of Hillside than Mayor Joseph Tamburino, who has represented the city since 1981. A natural storyteller who happens to know every twist and turn of the sagas inside the famous cemeteries, you won’t want to miss this annual event.
Once a year, the mayor gives this can’t-miss trolley tour of both Mount Carmel Cemetery and Queen of Heaven Cemetery in the Village of Hillside.
You’ll see the Al Capone gravesite, the Bishop’s Mausoleum where eight Chicago Cardinals are buried, and the burial place of one of the marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima. And so much more!
There is but one time of year to catch this unique tour of two Hillside cemeteries by the mayor of Hillside! Mayor Joseph Tamburino gives the personalized tour of Mount Carmel and Queen of Heaven cemeteries every year in October. For 2022, the trolley tour will take place on October 1.
The Hillside cemetery tour includes continental breakfast, a deli lunch, and trolley transportation to and from the Village Hall to the two Village of Hillside cemeteries. You’ll even receive an autographed book by historian Jenny Floro-Khalaf called “Images of America, Mount Carmel and Queen of Heaven Cemeteries”.
The cost for this unique opportunity is $40.
Reservations are necessary. Please RSVP to Evelyn at 708-202-4343 or ebelmonte@hillside-il.org.
Mayor Joseph Tamburino was first elected mayor in 1981, so he knows a little something about the Village of Hillside!
The mayor is also familiar with the workings of cemeteries. His father worked in the headstone and monument business, and Tamburino remembers riding in his father’s work truck and feeling fascinated with cemeteries and the people whose stories ended beneath the gravestones.
Mayor Tamburino also knows that the ending of one story is the beginning of another, which is another reason that cemeteries and their layered history intrigue him.
The Village of Hillside Cemetery Tour begins at the Hillside Village Hall. The building itself holds historical significance. It opened as a seminary for the Servants of Mary in 1919. Located at 425 N Hillside Ave, the Village Hall is just a 15-mile drive west of downtown Chicago.
